1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for the cleaning of non-ferrous metals and particularly for the cleaning of such metals extracted from the ash output stream of a municipal waste combustor (MWC).
2. Prior Art
Cleaning of non-ferrous metals is known to the prior art and frequently involves the use of expensive chemical technology that presents serious issues of environmental control that will limit the usefulness and applicability of such an approach on the large scale contemplated in MWC ash recycling. Other approaches such as impact hammermills are also limited in their usefulness because of expense and the irregular shape of the metals that are to be cleaned. Furthermore, what is desired is a process for large scale continuous cleansing. None of the systems or methods of the prior art are satisfactory for ash recycling systems.